2012 Year in Review: Winter watch

Tuesday

Jan 1, 2013 at 5:59 PMJan 1, 2013 at 6:09 PM

Winter is split between two years when it comes to high school athletics, but that doesn’t mean the action isn’t up to par with the rest of the year. Here is a look at the top five moments from January to March and November to now.

Robert Holder

Winter is split between two years when it comes to high school athletics, but that doesn’t mean the action isn’t up to par with the rest of the year. Here is a look at the top five moments from January to March and November to now.

No. 5 ’Cats get past Campbell Co.

Down eight at halftime on the road at Campbell County, the Oak Ridge Wildcats District 3-AAA lead was slipping last year. Just off a loss at Karns the week before, Oak Ridge couldn’t afford to lose.

The ’Cats rallied in the noisy gym going on an 18-5 run in the third quarter that kept them atop the district with a 56-53 win.

The Cougars cut the lead to two but free throws by Cory Fagan made the difference.

Isaac Merian had 24 points including 10 in the fourth quarter.

No. 4 Catfish swim at State

Loki Hondorf, Ryan Mihealsick, Thomas Kerr and Gaibo Zhang all got their chance to swim state last season and performed swimmingly.

Hondorf, just a sophomore, set a Wildcatfish team record in the 500 Freestyle, placing 12th with a personal best time of 4:46.71. He also placed 13th in the 200 Freestyle with 1:47.60.

Zhang was 21st in the 100 breaststroke. Mihealsick was 23rd in the 100 backstroke.

All four finshed their eight races in the top 50.

No. 3 Kendra Holmes scores 38

Kendra Holmes found herself as the benefactor of her team’s effort just two weeks ago against Karns. Holmes scored 38 points — 26 in the first half — and put herself in a three-way tie for most points scored in a single game by a Lady Wildcat.

Holmes joined Keke Stewart and Jennifer Wilson-Galloway as the only other Oak Ridge girls with 38. Armeka Booker leads the all-time list.

It was the fourth game in the last five for the girls in which Holmes or teammate Whitney Mitchell had at least 29 points.

The Wildcats opened the game on a 14-2 run, extended their lead to 22-8 and went on a separate 13-0 run in the third to defeat the Bobcats by 55. Oak Ridge hit 38 field goals, including five 3-pointers.

No. 1 Lady ’Cats historic comeback vs. Anderson Co.

Down 39-19 with 12:48 left in the game, Oak Ridge girls basketball coach Kerra Jackson called a timeout against Anderson County in the first District 3-AAA game of the 2012-13 season.

The rest was history.

The Lady Wildcats stormed back with full-court pressure, steals and layups as they defeated the Lady Mavericks 59-57 on the road. The win marked the largest comeback in program history for the Oak Ridge girls and set off a chain of wins that reached six straight and pulled the team into first place in the district standings.

Whitney Mitchell scored 29 points to lead ORHS and Kendra Holmes had 22.